In a machine tool on which an NC unit (numerical control unit) is mounted, a work is machined into a desired shape by executing the NC program. To create an NC creation program, which is turn creates the NC machining program, recently, an automatic programming device is frequently used. The automatic programming device includes at least one microcomputer.
The early days, CAD data was not supplied to the automatic programming devices. Therefore, it was necessary to perform programming, while watching the machining shape in a drawing or the like. However, recently, some techniques relating to the automatic programming device that creates the NC machining program by the CAD data have been proposed.
For example, in Patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-189510), feature data of a machined product is extracted from the CAD data to set a machining process and a machining area for each machining process, material data and a machining model for each machining process are created, the created machining process data and machining model data are stored, tool path data is created based on the machining process data, work data, machining model data, tool data, and cutting condition data, to create virtual work shape data after completing the respective processes, as well as creating fabrication information based on the created process data, work data, tool path data, and virtual work shape data.
In Patent document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-268718), when a machining path for machining a workpiece based on a three-dimensional CAD data of a part is created, machining information for all portions to be machined in a shape indicated by the three-dimensional CAD data is extracted, the extracted machining information is edited to determine a machining process, and the machining path is created based on the determined machining process.
In automatic programming devices, when the created NC creation program is to be edited, it is useful to have an editing function having a display mode on an editing screen with the efficiency in the editing work being improved and less editing errors. However, there is no description of the program editing function in the above conventional art.
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above problems. One object of the invention is to provide an automatic programming method and device that can determine clearly to which machining unit on a model a cursor position in an editor section corresponds, at the time of editing the created NC creation program, thereby making the edit work efficient and reducing editing errors.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic programming method and device that can efficiently perform editing operation of a non-expandable shape or the like, at the time of editing the created NC creation program.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic programming method and device that can efficiently perform the editing operation, when the program for the machining unit is broken or the like.